A study warns of the depression risks of a very common medication after the age of 50. Its harmful side effects would affect mental health.
We often talk about the side effects of medications on physical health, but what about mental health? Just as important as the first, it is nevertheless sometimes relegated to the background. And common prescriptions for people over 50 would have a negative impact on well-being, to the point of making one depressed.
We know that depression can be one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (and no, it’s not memory loss). But what is it caused by? Much more than a simple depression or sluggishness, it is an illness, a mood disorder which can last for weeks, months or years if left untreated. Sadness, loss of appetite, fatigue, despondency, weight loss, deterioration of sleep… It can even lead to suicidal thoughts. And be careful, among its factors, study points to cure taken by many people.
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Warning about common medications after 50
Trauma, separation, unemployment, personal or professional conflict, genetic vulnerability, disruption of brain functioning… We still do not know precisely what causes depression. But a medication seems to favor it. Published in European Heart Journal on October 3, 2024, a study raises the subject in analyzing the “short- and long-term effects of beta blockers on symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction and preserved left ventricular function”.
Researchers Philip Leissner, Katarina Mars, Sophia Humphries, Patric Karlström, Troels Yndigegn, Tomas Jernberg, Robin Hofmann, Claes Held and Erik MG Olsson analyzed data from 806 patients who suffered a heart attack between 2018 and 2023. The first half of them received the drug in question while the second half did not. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were studied at three time points: after hospitalization, 6 to 10 weeks after the heart attack, and 12 to 14 months after the heart attack. What results did they obtain?
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Depression: beta blockers singled out
The scientists based themselves on the HADS assessment scale, which in English means “Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale” and allows you to detect these disorders by giving them a note. This allowed them to observe the evolution of depressive symptoms and the effects of treatment, all while considering the age, medical history and gender of the patients studied. Gold, beta blockerswould lead to slightly higher depression symptoms in patients who had a heart attack”, according to Dr. Leissner, quoted by The Women’s Journal.
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The drugs in question are generally Corgard, Artex, Timacor, Trandate ou Visken. They are used to prevent arrhythmia, heart failure and hypertension, common after the age of 50, and are prescribed to people who have had a heart attack. Beta blockers actually help slow down heart contractions. The authors of the study do not encourage stopping treatment after a heart attack, but they wish to warn of this risk of depression.
